You can take the man out of the city, not the city out of the man. And if that city is Huron, even twenty years of absence aren’t going to be enough. Huron is a town of about 7,000 people in California’s San Joaquin Valley, mostly known for its juicy tomatoes, leafy lettuce, and Willy Chavarria. Picture a tiny town built on flat roads and dry heat, dust hanging in the air while the mountains sit faintly in the distance, caging in all the color. You can blame that on the fields, the community too, largely made up of Mexican immigrants, many of them undocumented.
Huron might ring a bell. After last year’s ICE episodes escalated, the designer found his way back home to film a short with photographer Carlos Jaramillo, “Heart of the Valley,” which led to his Spring 2026 Paris Fashion Week show being named after the town. “It was just emotionally overwhelming, because I realized how my entire being, and everything I do, is the result of that very humble place,” Chavarria told Vogue. “I really absorbed the beauty of that town, and the colors of the town, and I could see clear as day how it influences my work.”
May 3 might have marked the town’s 75th anniversary, but the date also became Willy Chavarria day, and it came with celebrations and community bonds. The day started with a high school soccer tournament backed by Adidas and the Boys & Girls Club (later supported by a $100,000 donation from Taco Bell). Nearby, a “Shop With Willy” pop-up took place, where brands gave away prom-appropriate clothes to the local high-schoolers, while Mariachi performances and Mexican food prepared by neighborhood businesses filled the space. We really are shaped by where we come from, no different than a tomato absorbing the soil it grows in.
